Negative Customer Feedback: How to deal with it effectively

Customer Feedback may not necessarily be a great one, but it does matter a lot for businesses, especially the ones which run online. It is always better to make the customers take a customer satisfaction survey because the results can be an eye opener and help you better your business. Although, be aware that results will not always favor you, so you have to be prepared for negative feedback as well.

Additionally, the surveys don’t always provide 100% accurate data. This may cause you to come up with less tangible solutions. However, good news is that feedback of any type can help you make further improvements. In today’s post, we will be discussing a few ways that can help you deal efficiently with negative feedback and improve your business by heaps.

Negative Feedback: How to deal with it effectively

Identify ‘Negative’ Elements

Each business is unique and so are its requirements. Therefore, the first step towards dealing with negative feedback is identifying the negative elements that are plaguing your business. For example, you can breakdown the user satisfaction into 3 parts – high, average and low. If your customers are complaining and the satisfaction level has reached down to lowest, then it’s an alarming situation that needs to be addressed.

Define the new ‘low’

Once you have identified the negative element, you need to define it. For instance, what’s the reason for low customer satisfaction? Is there more than one reasons? Was there a specific reason that caused it? Ideally an expert business marketer would already forecast the probable lows and predefine the lows. However, when you define these elements after you face the negative feedback, you can equip better changes. But of course, implementation will take time.

Inform & Discuss

Once you have identified and defined the ‘lows’, you must inform your analysis with your company’s concerned people such as marketing and customer care department etc. When you address the issue to the concerned people, you would be able to come up with better solutions that will make the changes.

Implement Solution

After the cause of low customer satisfaction has been identified, defined and discussed, you need to implement the solution to combat this situation. These solutions can be short term or long term, depending on the kind of issue. For example, short term solution can be an apology letter accompanied with discount sent to customer. Similarly, long term solution can be something like changing process flow, hiring/firing employee(s).

Give Rewards

Now negative feedback cannot be simply banished from the scene by implementing a solution. You need to bring back your upset customers and a good way to do so is by introducing reward system. As discussed in previous point, a nice discount code or cashback coupons etc.can be given to encourage the customers to give your business a try. This will definitely boost your customers and they will respond to your strategy of dealing with negative feedback.